James' Santa Hat
by Wackysocks
Summary: James receives a Santa hat in the morning post. What does he do with it? And what do Lily and her friends think? Oneshot, JL.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. If I did, I would be filthy stinkin' rich and my life would be a nightmare because everybody would want my signature.**

**James' Santa Hat**

Lily plopped down between two of her friends in the Great Hall at breakfast and grabbed a piece of toast and a plate. "Can you pass the butter?"

Marlene handed it to her. "How about a 'good morning Marlene?' It's nice to see you too, Lily, thank you for asking."

Lily smiled and roller her eyes at her friend. "Good morning, Marlene. You're looking just gorgeous this fine November morning."

Marlene rolled her eyes back at her. "Oh shut up."

Alice poked Lily in the side. "It's December 10th, silly. No more November mornings. Only two weeks until Christmas!"

Lily paused in her toast preparations (she was now sprinkling cinnamon sugar on it) and looked at Alice. "It's December 10th already?"

The owls flew in with the morning post, and an owl delivered Alice her morning paper. She promptly got opened it, forgetting Lily's question.

Marlene gave Lily an impatient look. "Where have you been? You've been thinking its November this whole month. As if the sight of the elves putting up the Christmas decorations doesn't drop a clue."

"Well thank you for enlightening me," Lily teased. "What's up with you this morning? You seem a bit uptight."

Marlene poked her eggs with her fork. "I have a stupid Ancient Runes thing test today. It's so dumb. I'll probably fail it."

"You'll do fine," said Lily. Just then there was a disturbance farther down the table. James Potter had apparently received some sort of red conelike hat with a white furry rim and a white furry ball on top from his owl, which was now drinking all the pumpkin juice in his goblet. He was holding the hat in his hands, staring at it with a very bewildered look on his face. Sirius was laughing his head off, and Peter was squeaking. Laughing. _He squeaks when he laughs_, thought Lily. _Just like a rat. How weird._

"What the heck _is_ this thing?" asked James to his friends. Sirius just laughed, his elbow coming precariously close to knocking a sugar bowl onto the floor. Remus just looked at James, rather bemused. "Well, I suppose the note on the table will tell you if you don't know. It's a Santa hat."

James looked at Remus, completely confused. "Santa? Who is Santa?" He read the note. "All it says is that this is some Muggle hat. Nothing about Santa."

Lily smiled and went back to enjoying her toast. _What do I have to do today_, she asked herself. _Hmmmm. I think I have a Transfiguration essay due soon. I should get started on that. And maybe Frank can help me with that weird Charms spell we learned yesterday_.

Just then she felt a tap on her shoulder. As she expected, it was James, holding his Santa hat. "Lily, who is Santa? Sirius and Peter don't know, and Remus told me to come ask you. He's in one of his moods this morning."

Marlene stared up at him incredulously. "What? Guys have moods too?"

"Santa Clause is a Muggle tradition," said Lily. "There was once an old man who gave toys to children on Christmas. I don't know the whole story of what he did, but it developed into the story of an old fat man in a red suit who comes down the Muggle chimneys each Christmas and fills the children's stockings with candy and toys or coal, depending on whether they've been good or bad. That is a replica of his hat."

James' eyebrows shot up. "An old fat man who goes down chimneys? How does he get up there?"

"He has flying reindeer that pull a sleigh," replied Lily. "He lives in the North Pole at Santa's Workshop the rest of the year with his elves, making toys for Christmastime."

"That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard of. No wonder Muggles have that sort of tradition."

Lily frowned. "I supposed Muggles would think Quidditch is a weird thing if they knew what it was."

James looked slightly shocked. "Quidditch isn't weird! It's perfectly sane! But a fat old man in a red suit jumping down chimneys? I mean, how would he get back up again?"

Lily turned back to the table. "I don't know, James. It's just a story."

There was a pause, and Lily thought James had left when she felt another tap on her shoulder. She turned around. James was grinning. "Do you know anyone who has gotten coal in their stocking?"

"Of course not," she said. "What parent would put coal in their kid's stocking? That's just silly."

James looked surprised again. "But I thought you said that Santa Clause puts stuff in the stockings!"

Lily grabbed her bookbag and stood up. "James, think! Santa Clause isn't real. It's a story told to young children to make them believe it so they don't know their parents are putting treats in their stockings. How would anybody get to every single house in one night?"

James looked bewildered for a moment. "But I thought you said-"

"It's just a story," Lily interrupted. "A Muggle thing." She turned and poked Alice. "Time to go to class. Get up, Marlene. Your test will be fine." She turned to look at James. "It's time for class now. You should go get your stuff."

James looked down at his hat, then smiled his goofy grin and jammed it on his head. "Thanks, Lily." He walked back down to his friends, the white ball on the end swaying as he walked.

The girls stared after him. "My, that looks dumb on him," Marlene remarked. "Come on, girls."

They left the Great Hall, talking. Lily couldn't help but steal a glance back at James. He was still wearing the hat, and Sirius was still laughing at him. Remus was shaking head, and Peter was looking lost. _What a dufus_, she thought, smiling. _Do I know anyone who has gotten coal in their stocking. Really._

o0o0o0o0o0o

James wore the Santa hat all throughout the day, and all day long, he got comments about it from the teachers, other students, and his friends. Sirius in particular thought it was incredibly funny and made tons of lame jokes about James, the hat, and Santa Clause.

In the Common Room that night, Lily sat by the fire talking with her friends when the Marauders entered, cheeks flushed and robes slightly damp from a snowball fight outside with some seventh years from other Houses.

"Look at him," Marlene said. "He's still wearing that ridiculous hat. It makes him look like a kid."

"He _is_ a kid," said Lily. "I don't think he'll ever grow up. But I suppose that's a good thing. What fun is it to grow up?"

"Don't wax all philosophical on us now, Lily," said Marlene. "I'm too tired."

"If you think it's a dumb hat, Marlene," said Alice, "why don't you tell him to take it off?"

"Okay," said Marlene. She turned her head toward the boys, who were on the other side of the room, and yelled "Oy! James!"

He looked up from his game of chess with Sirius.

"I just wanted to tell you that that hat looks ridiculous and that you should take it off!"

James smirked at her, said something to Sirius, and then walked over to them. "And why should I?" he asked. "I just so happen to think that this hat is my crowning beauty."

"It's absolutely dumb-looking," Marlene stated. "You should take it off. Lily thinks so too, right Lily?"

Lily hesitated. It didn't look _that _dumb to her. He actually looked sort of cute in it.

James took advantage of her slight hesitation. "Lily likes it. Of course, she likes the Santa Clause story, too. Old fat men in red suits that jump down chimneys turn her on."

Lily gave James a withering look. "Ha ha. Very funny. I just so happen to think that it does in fact look absolutely silly on you and that you should take it off." That wasn't true, and her conscience immediately started bugging her about her little lie. Lily brushed it off as a Christmas lie. She would tell James later, wouldn't she? Sure she would. Later, though. Much later.

"Alright then," said James. "I'll take it off." He promptly took off the hat . . . and shoved it firmly down on Lily's head. Instant warmth penetrated Lily's skull.

"James!" said Lily, reaching up to take it off.

"Don't take it off, Lily!" said James, with a worried expression on his face. "It's a smart hat. It has absorbed everything I know from me wearing it today, and it will help you write the Transfiguration essay that's due tomorrow."

Oh crap. The essay.

"And do you think I need help writing the essay, James? Am I not talented enough to write it on my own?"

" Well of course you're talented enough," James said. "No duh. It will just make it go faster." He turned and smiled at Marlene. "I have obeyed your request, dear madam, and if you will excuse me, ladies, I have a chess game to win." He turned and strode off toward Sirius.

Marlene gaped after him. "Madam indeed! Goodness! As if I need help feeling older!"

"Oh Marlene, you're just uptight from your test today," said Alice. "He called you a lady, too, didn't you notice?"

Marlene replied to Alice's question, but Lily didn't hear the answer. She was still watching James. She was sure the hat clashed horribly with her hair and that she should take it off, but she didn't want to, and it wasn't the fact that it felt warm on her head.

Something about it being James' hat made her feel happy in a shy sort of way. Something about it being James' hat made her think about wearing it again after tonight.

Something about it being James' hat made all the difference.

thEnd

**Author's Note: Okay, so I know I haven't written in **_**forever**_**, but I got myself a Santa hat today and got totally inspired! Please tell me if you like it!**

**And you should all go buy Santa hats, because they are warm and fuzzy and very Christmasy. **

**Wackysocks**


End file.
